Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the common questions we expect you may have about the
Conference.
There are three sections:
-
A list of topic areas (categories of questions). Clicking on an item will
take you to that section of questions.
-
A list of questions by topic area. Clicking on the topic will take you to
that section of answers. Clicking on a specific question will take you to
its answer.
-
The questions themselves (repeated) along with their answers.
CONFERENCE
| Q. |
What are the significant dates and times for this
Conference? |
| |
A. |
The Conference will be held from Sunday, July 28, 2019, until
noon on Friday, August 2, 2019.
|
| Q. |
What is the level of genealogy expertise expected by the
Conference? |
| |
A. |
Typically about 1/3 of IAJGS Conference attendees are first timers at a
conference. Within that, a large percentage are new to Jewish genealogy.
The IAJGS Conference committees work hard to provide a conference geared
to genealogists at every level of expertise, and therefore we schedule
“introductory”
level presentations as well as
“expert”
presentations. However, it is our personal experience that any lecture
provides something to learn from, and
I have never attended or prepared an introductory session where
I did not learn something new, whether about methodology or about
presentation techniques. And schmoozing with people who share an
interest or an ancestral neighborhood puts the icing on the cake. The
group is welcoming to new
people—which,
by the way, is a genealogy best practice.
|
| Q. |
When will the Conference program be available? |
| |
A. |
The submission of proposals ended on
January 20, 2019. The Program Committee plans to complete the
decisions about acceptances by
April 1. The program will be posted on the Conference website
shortly after that (see the
“Program and Schedule”
item under the PROGRAM tab).
|
| Q. |
How will a typical Conference day be organized? |
| |
A. |
Most days begin with a
“Breakfast with the Experts” at
8 am. Presentations generally start at 9:00 and end by around
6 pm. Just after noon, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) hold luncheon
meetings. Various other activities are scheduled for the evening. These
include the Opening Reception at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on
Sunday and the Banquet on Thursday.
|
| Q. |
Does one have to sign up for a space at the
lectures? |
| |
A. |
No reservations are needed for the regular conference activities. The
lectures are open on a first-come-first-served basis.
|
| Q. |
Will the Conference be recorded? |
| |
A. |
Fleetwood Onsite
records audio and slides for most sessions, and the recordings can be
purchased individually or at a discount for the entire Conference. For
details, see the
“Audio Recordings”
item under the PROGRAM tab.
|
| Q. |
Will there be a mobile-device app available? |
| |
A. |
Yes, there will be an IAJGS Conference app for mobile devices. Stay
tuned for details. If you installed the app for a past conference, you
will be able to use it for this Conference. |
| Q. |
Will there be a printed program calendar and planner? |
| |
A. |
Yes, all full-conference registrants will receive a Daily Planner
with the schedule of Conference activities. |
| Q. |
How can I volunteer to help with the Conference
planning? |
| |
A. |
Write to us at
volunteer@iajgs2019.org
to inquire about volunteering! Thanks!
|
| Q. |
When will notice be given to presenters regarding
acceptance of their proposals? |
| |
A. |
We expect to do so by the beginning of April 2019. |
| Q. |
What is available during the day for non-genealogist
spouses/family? |
| |
A. |
There are many interesting things to do in Cleveland, both for
Conference attendees and for their traveling companions who are not
attending the Conference. We have prepared a web page that lists some of
the points of interest. Under the FAQ/INFO tab, click on
Sightseeing
(in the TOURIST INFO section).
|
| Q. |
Will WiFi be available in the Conference venue? |
| |
A. |
Yes. The entire Conference meeting area will be covered by WiFi.
Those staying at the hotel will also have WiFi at no additional charge
in their hotel rooms.
|
[Return to Top]
REGISTRATION
| Q. |
Is there an
“early-bird” rate for the Conference?
|
| |
A. |
Yes, there is an early-bird rate that expires on
May 9, 2019. Please see the REGISTRATION tab on this website for
more information.
|
| Q. |
Is there a “Daily Rate” for the
Conference? |
| |
A. |
Yes, the daily rate has been set at $175 per day. The cost of two
days approximately equals the full Conference rate, so it makes sense to
register for the entire Conference unless you plan to attend only for a
single day. |
| Q. |
Is the Daily Rate for Friday the same as for the other
days of the week? |
| |
A. |
Yes. |
| Q. |
What is the cancellation policy? |
| |
A. |
Refunds will depend on when we receive a cancellation notice.
- On or before May 7, 2019: A full refund of
all fees paid less a $50 administrative fee will be made if a
cancellation request is received by 11:59 pm EDT, May 7,
2019.
- On or after May 7, 2019, and before July 1,
2019: A 50% refund of all fees paid less a $50 administrative
fee if a cancellation request is received by 11:59 pm EDT,
June 30, 2019. If you wish to substitute other Conference items
for any fees paid, you may do so. This is not transferable to another
person. If the substitution results in a net increase, you must pay the
difference. If there is a net reduction, the difference will be
refunded less a $50 administrative fee. If the difference is less than
$50, it is forfeited in lieu of the administrative fee.
- On or after July 1, 2019: No refunds or
substitutions will be made for requests received on or after
12:01 am EDT July 1, 2019. We regret if illness, family
emergency, or other reasons prevent you from participating in some or
all of the Conference. However, we incur obligations to others based
upon your registration and additional fee items.
There will be no exceptions to the cancellation/refund policy. You
may want to consider buying trip cancellation insurance.
To cancel your registration, please write to
cancel@iajgs2019.org
or send a letter (delivery confirmation recommended) to
Paul Wolf, Registration Chair
IAJGS Cleveland 2019
4073 Bushnell Road
Cleveland, OH 44118-3305
|
| Q. |
What is the new
“Mandatory Meal Voucher”? |
| |
A. |
New this year is a Mandatory Meal Voucher that will be added to and
included with the registration fee. For details, see
HERE.
|
[Return to Top]
THE HOTEL
| Q. |
Where will the Conference be held? |
| |
A. |
The Conference will be held at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown hotel at
100 Lakeside Avenue East, Cleveland, Ohio, 44114. The hotel is
nicely situated close to the waterfront of Lake Erie and the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame. |
| Q. |
Is it possible to register now for hotel rooms? |
| |
A. |
Yes. See the information under the HOTEL/TRAVEL tab on the website.
|
| Q. |
Have we reserved rooms at additional hotels? |
| |
A. |
We have announced special arrangements at several overflow hotels
now that rooms at the Hilton have largely been booked. See the
Overflow Hotels
page udner the HOTEL/TRAVEL tab.
|
| Q. |
Will the Conference assist with finding roommates upon
request? |
| |
A. |
Yes. Attendees who would like to find a roommate during the
Conference can:
|
| Q. |
Is it possible to have a refrigerator in the hotel
room? |
| |
A. |
Yes. All rooms in the Hilton Downtown Cleveland include a mini
refrigerator. They also have an in-room safe, a hair dryer, and an iron
and ironing board. |
| Q. |
Is it possible to have a manual key to the hotel
room? |
| |
A. |
No. All rooms at the hotel use electronic locks, and there is no
provision for using conventional keys. However, hotel staff can help
guests enter hotel rooms on Shabbat. |
| Q. |
Is it possible to have a lower level floor in the
hotel? |
| |
A. |
Yes. Note, however, that guest rooms start on the floors above the
meeting areas, on something like the 5th floor. So even a room on the
lowest available floor will still require negotiating many flights of
stairs.
You will be able to book a room guaranteed to be on a lower floor.
You will need to add that request to the notes in the hotel reservation
when booking. After you book a room, we would recommend that you make a
follow-up call (or send an email message if you cannot call) to the
hotel to make sure that the request is in your record. A final
confirmation call a few days before arriving might be a good idea as
well.
|
| Q. |
What about parking? |
| |
A. |
Information about parking is covered in a section of the
Hotel Reservations page (see
HERE).
|
[Return to Top]
TOURS
| Q. |
Will there be research or sightseeing tours
available? |
| |
A. |
There are two tours of Jewish cemeteries in the Cleveland area. See the
Cemetery Tours
item under the PROGRAM tab for details.
|
[Return to Top]
ACCESSIBILITY
| Q. |
Are there disability-accessible rooms in the hotel? |
| |
A. |
Yes. |
[Return to Top]
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
| Q. |
Will there be kosher food available at the
Conference? |
| |
A. |
Yes. While most Conference functions will not be all-kosher, kosher food
can be pre-ordered for organized meals (such as SIG luncheons and the
Banquet), and kosher box lunches can be pre-ordered as well. The
reception at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be all-kosher. Please
follow this topic on the
Kosher SIG
Facebook Group.
|
| Q. |
Will this Conference include a daily minyan? |
| |
A. |
Yes. There will be a daily morning (Shacharit) minyan Monday
through Friday, with Torah reading on Monday, Thursday, and Friday
(Rosh Hodesh Av). Afternoon (Mincha) services will
generally be held at
6 pm, and evening (Ma'ariv) services will be arranged on an
ad hoc basis depending on the schedule each day. |
| Q. |
What are the arrangements for Shabbat? |
| |
A. |
The Conference is not planning any activities for Shabbat. The available
arrangements for services and meals are described under the FAQ/INFO tab
in the
RELIGIOUS SERVICES
item.
|
[Return to Top]
[ If you have comments or technical questions about this web page, write
to
webmaster ]
